Feeding mechanism for cigarettemaking machine



, Oct. 27, 1959 P. FOWLER,'JR 2,910,071

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR C GARETTE-MAKING MACHINE Filed Au 19, 1957 INVENTOR. Pre ston L. Fowler, Jr.

A TTORNEYS 2,910,071 Patented Oct. 27, 1959 FEEDING MECHANISM FOR CIGARETTE- MAKING MACHINE Preston L. Fowler, Jr., Richmond, Va., assignor to The American Tobacco Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 19, 1957, Serial No. 679,017 4 Claims. (Cl. 13121) This invention relates to tobacco feeding means for cigarette-making machines, and more particularly to the provision of a chute by means of which the tobacco is fed directly to the feed drum, instead of being deposited on a supply belt and delivered to the drum.

For many years, tobacco was delivered by hand to a bin or hopper at the rear of a cigarette-making machine.

States PatentOfifice It "was fed forwardly in this bin on-a belt to the feed drum. The feed drum is provided with carding pins on its surface and these pins pick up the tobacco at the forward end of the belt to deliver the proper amount to the machine for the production of cigarettes of uniform weight. A refuser drum is arranged above the feed drum and slightly spaced from it. The refuser drum is arranged above the feed drum and its function is to return excess tobacco to the belt. To insure an ample supply of tobacco to the feed drum, the belt delivers an excess quantity to the forward end of the bin. provided to remove the excess tobacco from the areanear the feed drum and return it to the rear of the bin. f

In recent years tobacco has been fed to cigarette-making machines by an overhead conveyor system. A conveyor extends over a battery of machines with an outlet chute to deliver tobacco to the bin at the rear of each machine. The delivery of tobacco from the, conveyor to each chute may be controlled by a gate, which in turn, may be automatically opened or closed by suitable con- A rake mechanism I is trol mechanism in the bin actuatedby the level of. tobacco in the bin. y

In the present invention, I eliminate the bin or hopper to which the tobacco has heretofore been delivered, the

moving belt in the bottom of the bin, the rake and various other parts necessary in the operations of the present feed mechanisms. I provide a chute that delivers the tobacco directly to the feed drum and I, also, provide suitable control mechanism to open the gatetfrom the conveyor to the chute for delivery of tobacco to the chute when the supply in the chute falls below a predetermined 1 level.

The device of the present invention'eliminates a numher of parts of present feeding mechanisms, thus reducing the overall dimensions of the machine and providing additional fioor space. It also reduces maintenance cost which is a considerable item in a modern cigarette factory where a large number of cigarette-making machines are employed.

The invention further results in a more uniform feed.

Where the tobacco was supplied to a hopper, varying cigarette-making machine. When the tobacco is delivered by supply belt, with an excess supplied and the excess then moved toward the rear of the bin or hopper by a rake, the rolling and tumbling of the tobacco as it is fed forwardly by the belt and then rearwardly by the rake results in unnecessary breaking, and creation of tobacco shorts which must be discarded.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown, more or less diagrammatically, one form 'of the invention. In this showing:

Fig, l is a view in side elevation and vertical section of the feed drum and refuser drum of -a cigarette-making machine, the overhead conveyor for delivering tobacco t0 the machine, and the chute by means of which the tobacco'is delivered from the and Fig. 2 is an elevation at right angles to Fig. 1, parts being shown in section. v

Referring to the drawings, a feeder drum 2 is adapted to deliver a uniform quantity of tobacco to a cigarettemaking machine. As shown the drum is mounted on a horizontal axis, and has a generally upwardly moving tobacco receiving portion to theright of the axis in Fig. 1 and a generally downwardly extending portion on the other sideof-the axis. This drum has heretofore been arranged at the front end of a bin having a moving belt on which the supply of tobacco is supported and moved toward the drum. The general construction and arrangement of such parts is shown, for instance, in the lodmore Patent No. 1,907,575, granted May 9, 1933 and is well known. The surface of the drum is covered with carding pins 4. By compressing tobacco on the drum and holding it by the carding pins, a uniform supply of conveyor tothe feed drum;

tobacco is delivered to the cigarette-making machine. A I

refuser drum '6 is, arranged above the feed drum and rotates in the same direction as indicated by the arrows. This drum is also covered by carding pins 8. Its function, as is well known, is to remove any excess tobacco from the feed drum and return it to the supply source behindthe drums. The refuser drum engages the tobacco-at: the bottom of its path of revolution, and therefore tends to move it in the reverse direction.

An, overhead conveyor 10, such as it now in use in cigarette factories, extends above the drums 2 and 6. Such conveyor generally consists of a trough with suitable means, not shown, for moving a stream of tobacco through the trough. The trough generally extends over a series or line of cigarette-making machines and is provided with a movable gate 12 which may be opened to deliver tobacco to a machine or may be closed at times when the supply of tobacco of a machine does not require replenishing. I

Between the rolls 2 and *6 and the gate 12, I provide a chute 14. As shown, the chute is formed of curved front and rear walls 16 and 18, and connecting side walls 20 spanning the lateral edges of the front and rear walls. The chute may be provided with partitions 22 and 24 to permit use of a portion of it, as has been found sufiicient in actual use.. Gate 12 may be controlled by an air cylinder 26. A piston (not shown) is mounted in the cylinder, and connected to a piston rod 28. Piston rod 28 is, inturn, connected to gate 12. Suitable conventional means (not shown) is provided to control delivery of; airrto the ends of the cylinderto open and close the i of the required quantity of tobacco. The lower ends of the side walls 20 are curved substantially parallel to the surface of the feed roll. The lower end 30 of the wall 18 is positioned near the feed drum, as shown. Beneath this wall, I provide a concave plate 32, spaced from and parallel to the feed roll to feed any tobacco not picked up by carding pins 4 to a suitable conveyor (not shown) in the machine beneath the feed roll. This plate was not necessary in prior feed mechanisms.

As stated, it has been found that suflicient tobacco may be fed to the feed drum through the space enclosed by the wall 16, partition 24 and side walls 20, and the space between the partition 24 and wall 18 is not used. However, if greater quantities of tobacco are required, the partitions 22 and 24 may be removed and the entire capacity of the chute employed.

The supply of tobacco in the chute is controlled by a float 34. Float 34 is arranged in an opening in wall 16;

as shown. It is secured to a rod 36, rotatably mounted in supports 38 arranged in wall 16. A counterweight 40 is mounted on an arm '42 connected to rod 36. Rod 42 is connected to a link 44 which supports a mercury switch 46. The switch through conventional means (not shown) controls a solenoid or other means to operate an air valve to feed air to the opposite ends of cylinder 26.

In tobacco feeding mechanisms heretofore employed it is the usual practice to compact the tobacco on the feed drumby means of tampers which are mounted above the feed drum and reciprocated by suitable means. In the drawings I have illustrated tampers 48. The support of the tampers and the mechanism for oscillating them is not illustrated as it is old and well known in the art. The tampers, as illustrated, are in accordance with the disclosure of the Gwinn Patent No. 1,948,575, granted February 27, 1934, but any other suitable tamping mechanism may be usedwhen the tamPers are employed, andhaving its lower end shaped to conform to a portion the lower portion of wall 16 of the chute must be removed to permit the tampers to oscillate and this may be formed of a separate plate 50 to permit its removal.

In the use of the mechanism to control the deliveryv of tobacco to the feed drum 2, the supply of tobacco in the bottom of the chute extends up to the vicinity of the float 34 and will fluctuate in the neighborhood of 6 to 8 inches. it presses against the inner wall '52 of. the float tending to move the float outwardly. This maintains'switch 46 in position to supply air to the right hand end of cylinder 26 and retain gate 12 in a closed position. As the level of tobacco in the chute falls, the float moves counterclockwise, and the lower end of outer wall '54 approaches the wall 16 of the chute. As the level of tobacco falls below the float, mercury switch 46 is tripped to energize the solenoid controlling feed of air to the left end of cylinder 26, and open the, gate. Tobacco, which is conveyed through conveyor 10 at all times, then falls into the chute. As the level in the chute rises above the bottom of the float, it presses on wall 52 to move the float in the opposite direction. This moves the mercury switch to its initial position and closes the gate 12. i

I claim:

1. In apparatus for feeding tobacco to a cigarette-makingmachine comprising a feed roll rotatable on a horizontal axis to present a generally upwardly moving tobacco receiving surface portion on'one side of said axis, and a generally downwardly moving portion on the other When the level is above the bottom of the float,

side of said axis, a refuser roll, and an overhead conveyor,

the improvement which comprises a chute extending from the conveyor to a point adjacent the feed roll and-having 5 tion adjacent said upwardly moving surface portion of the feed roll, a second wall opposite said one wall having its end spaced from the feed roll near the topof the feed roll, said walls being spaced a substantial distance from each other and having the opposed lateral edges thereof spanned by two connecting walls, the two connecting walls having edges adjacent said feed roll curved substantially parallel to the surface of the feed roll to permit tobacco to be maintained in contact with the feed roll over a large area to insure delivery of the proper quantity of tobacco to the feed roll, the conveyor being provided with an opening communicating with the chute, a gate for closing the opening, and means controlled by the level of tobacco in the lower portion of the chute to actuate said gate.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said means includes a float arranged in the chute adjacent its lower end for controlling the opening and closing of the gate. 3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2 in which said means further comprises a switch and instrumentalities for opening and closing the gate, and wherein said float controls said switch, and said switch actuates said instrumentalities.

4; In apparatus for feeding tobacco to a cigarette-making machine comprising a feed roll rotatable on a horizontal axis to present a generally upwardly moving tobacco receiving surface portion on one side of said axis, and a generally downwardly moving portion on the other side of said axis, a refuser roll, and an overhead conveyor, the improvement which comprises a chute extending from the conveyor to a point adjacent the feed roll of'the surface of the feed roll, one wall of the bottom of the chute having its end arranged adjacent the feed roll at'a position adjacent said upwardly moving surface portion of the feedroll, a second wall opposite said one wall having its end spaced from the feed roll near the top of the feed roll, said walls being spaced a substantial distance from each other and having the opposed lateral edges thereof spanned by two connecting walls, the two connecting walls having edges adjacent said feed roll curved substantially parallel to the surface of the feed roll to permit tobacco to be maintained in contact with the feed roll over a large area to insure delivery of the proper quantity of tobacco to the feed roll, the conveyor being provided with an opening communicating with the chute, a gate for closing the opening, means controlled by the. level of tobacco in the lower portion of the chute to, actuate said gate, and a plateshaped to conform to the surface of the feed roll and slightly spaced therefrom, said plate, extending from the first mentioned wall of the chute to a point adjacent the bottom of the feed roll.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,042,652 De Cazen Oct. 29, 1912 1,941,429 Berger Dec. 26, 1933 2,140,128 Craggs Dec. 13, 1938 2,311,747 Gooch Feb. 23, 1943 2,672,871 Slovic Mar. 23, 1954 2,727,518 Carder Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 324,640 Great Britain Jan. 27, 1930 600,237 Great Britain Apr. 2, 1948 662,003 Germany July 2, 1938 

